Footsteps
by IdPattThat
Summary: Some things are just genetic.


**Hi. I recently became a Marshmallow, having missed all of this when it was going on. Anyways, I'm glad I'm here. This is just a little bit of fluff that I wanted to write. Killerlashes betas because I made her watch the series, too. We're binge watching together, miles apart. :) **

* * *

**Now**

She can see him across the parking lot. His white uniform stands out vividly against the myriad colors of the cars. The tenseness of his shoulders is evident even from a quarter mile away. That can only mean that they both got the same phone call. Which, of course, means trouble. Nervous now, she walks faster to catch up with him and just barely makes it as he opens the glass door.

"Oh," he says, surprised. "I didn't think you could make it."

"Of course I could," she replies, trying not to be defensive. It's not something she can help, especially when it comes to him…even after all these years.

He holds the door open for her and gestures her in, but neither one of them make it very far. There's a little figure sitting just outside the office. Her head is down, a curtain of blonde hair framing her face, but they both know what they'd see if she were to look up. After all, she's them, and they know each other by heart.

They stop and her head lifts. Her big, brown eyes are dry but her expression is sad…and maybe even a little guilty. It's a look they both have perfected in their own lives.

"Okay, how are we doing this?" Logan asks, his hand on her shoulder.

Veronica frowns. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, who's taking point here? What's the plan?"

"Logan, she's our daughter, do we need a plan?"

Logan resists the urge to roll his eyes. Of course they need a plan. She's _their_ daughter.

"Good cop, bad cop it is," he mumbles.

"Do I get to be the good cop?" She grins despite the situation.

"Not a chance, Mars." He returns her smile and lets his hand drop from her shoulder. "Let's do this."

xXx

**Then**

It happened after one hundred and eighty days. They had their two weeks, and then he was gone. When he returned, they hardly came up for air. Mostly to eat. Sometimes to shower. Occasionally to go to work. There were nine years to make up for, so that's what they did.

Two months into making up for lost time, a period was missed and two pink lines appeared on a little piece of plastic. Motherhood wasn't exactly something that she'd thought about, especially considering her non-existent relationship with her own mother. But somehow…somehow it felt _okay_.

Logan was scared. She could see it in the way his hands shook, no matter how hard he stared at them. He started to treat her like she was breakable- something he'd never done.

Veronica understood more than anyone why he was afraid. After all, she'd seen his father in action and was there when his mother died. When Logan fell apart, someone was there to pick up the pieces: Veronica. Now, he would have to be the one picking up the pieces, and that was terrifying.

Of course, she didn't remind him of all the bad, nor did she remind him of all the good. It seemed redundant to her to do that, when they were living in the good that very moment. She didn't need to remind him how different they both were, how much they'd grown and changed. Eventually he loosened up, and it was no longer the Echolls' genes that terrified him, just the thought of being a father.

It was around the same time that they learned they were having a daughter.

xXx

**Now**

She looks up at them as they walk by and Logan gently touches the top of her head.

"I thought I was the good cop," Veronica mutters and he can't help but smile.

"It was _my_ idea." He shrugs.

Then, for the second time in a span of minutes, they are both stopped in their tracks.

"Mr. C?" Veronica says a little more loudly than she'd planned. "Did you get demoted?"

Logan elbows her gently because insulting the guy holding the file on their kid is probably not going to help her.

"Oh, Jesus," Mr. Clemmons sighs.

"It's just Logan, sir," he responds before he can stop himself.

This time _he_ earns an elbow to his ribs, sharper than necessary, too.

Mr. Clemmons glances at the file in his hands and then at the two of them before waving them into his office. Veronica shoots him a warning glance and he holds his hands up innocently. She started it, after all.

"I can't believe someone let the two of you procreate, let alone with each other," Mr. Clemmons says as he settles himself behind the desk and gestures for them to sit. "And, to answer your question, Ms. Mars, I'm simply standing in for Ms. James, who is out on medical leave."

Veronica wrinkles her nose at the mention of Ms. James. They, thankfully, hadn't had many run-ins with her in their daughter's short elementary school career.

"I'll be quick here. Your daughter is being suspected of liberating a number of frogs from the fifth grade science lab-"

"Just _suspected_?" Logan asks with a raised eyebrow. Veronica smiles. He's cute when he's protective.

xXx

**Then**

Telling Keith had been hard. Veronica had already seen him disappointed when she decided to stay in Neptune, and even more so when he found out about Logan. She knew he didn't really approve of their relationship and she definitely knew why. However, Veronica also knew he father loved her and if she was happy then he would make an effort.

And she was happy.

"So, is he going to make an honest woman of you and marry you?" he asked, and all she could do was laugh.

xXx

**Now**

"Well, some students came forward and said they saw her in the lab and…" Mr. Clemmons trails off seeing the all-too-familiar murderous look on Veronica's face. He stops talking so she can start, a wise move, he thinks.

"She's in third grade, sir. There's no reason whatsoever for her to be in the fifth grade wing. And, for that matter, how would a teacher not notice that my child was missing from her class for the amount of time it would take to _liberate_ a group of live frogs?"

Mr. Clemmons sighs again. He picks up the file and looks at it, then Veronica, then Logan.

"You know what…we'll just buy some new frogs."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Logan asks as Mr. Clemmons stands up and walks toward the door.

"You're free to go. Take your little…protégé. All is forgiven."

"Really? Just like that?" Veronica smirks, and Logan gives her a warning glance.

"Get out before I change my mind, Mars." Mr. Clemmons practically shoves them out the door.

She stands up when they come out into the hallway, her expression no longer sad. Now she's defiant, strong…_her mother__'__s face_, Logan smiles.

"Looks like you're free, kid," Logan says and watches her defiance melt away into a heartbreaking grin.

_Her father's_, Veronica thinks.

"Can we go home?" she asks, and Logan holds out his hand.

Veronica walks a few paces behind them, always wary, always keeping the big picture in mind.

"So?" Logan looks down expectantly as they start through the long hallway to the exit door.

"There were five of them. They kept the tank in the window by the recess field, and I watched them. It got too hot and the water in their tank dried up and frogs can't live if they don't have water and they were gonna _die_ soon-"

"You named them, didn't you?"

"Of course I did, Daddy. They were cute."

"You know there were other ways to solve this problem, right?" he says softly and Veronica snorts behind him.

_Jerk_, he mouths to her so she blows him a kiss.

"Daddy knows all about making good choices," she says with just a hint of sarcasm.

"And I'm starting to rethink some of them right about now…" he grins at her and then kisses his daughter's head. "I'll see you later, peanut."

"You'll be home soon?" Veronica asks as he reaches down to take her hand. Sometimes she can't get over the look of him in that uniform, not that much different from the one that he'd picked her up at the airport in so many years ago. Then there's the leanness of his body, the sharp planes of his face, the crinkle of his eyes when he smiles…all things that are familiar of _him_. But they're also all things that belong to _her- _their daughter.

"Right behind you, babe." Logan smiles, kisses her hand, and then her lips and feels her mouth curve into a smile, too. "Don't break any laws on the way home, ladies."

They turn to go their separate ways, but before Logan gets very far his daughter calls out to him:

"We're not making any promises," she says with a little shrug.

He simply laughs because she's part Mars, and a Mars woman always has to have the last word.


End file.
